Author Interviews with Claire Daines, Brenda Seabrooke, and Chris Chan on Sherlock Holmes: Further Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells, TWO Belanger Books Projects now on Kickstarter, New Sherlock Holmes and Solar Pons Audio Books, PLUS The Call for Submission to Sherlock Holmes: Adventures Through the Multiverse is Open Through September 30th!
Hi everyone,
We have an exciting blog update for you today chock full of interviews and exciting news. For the first time ever, Belanger Books has TWO amazing projects on Kickstarter. Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells features 25 ALL NEW adventures where Holmes solves mysteries connected to the tales of H.G. Wells. Our second Kickstarter project is Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen and Sherlock HO! These two books are collections of Sherlock Holmes stories and scholarship from the great Holmesian author S. Subramanian. To tell you more about the stories in Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells, we have interviews with three of the authors in today's blog post.
Author Interview with Claire Daines on "The Adventure of the King’s Ransom"
Claire Daines is a full-time mother of four sons who never sleep, and a dog who does nothing else. Her first encounter with Sherlock Holmes was ‘Silver Blaze’ at ten years old, and he’s been on her radar ever since. Deep in the heart of the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand, Claire spends her days thinking up new ways to commit crime, and testing them out on hapless Victorian Londoners.
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| Author Claire Daines |
Please tell us a little bit about your story without giving too much away.
Claire Daines (CD): One of my favourite things about writing Sherlock Holmes stories is giving Watson the spotlight as well, letting him shine as a capable, cool-headed adult in his own right. Holmes might be one of the best-known fictional characters of all time, but Watson might easily be one of the most maligned! A fully-qualified army surgeon from one of Victorian London’s finest medical schools would have to be a lot more intelligent than most actors have portrayed him in the past – not to mention the nerves of steel he’d have to have just living with an eccentric slob like his flatmate, never mind regularly going on adventures with him. ‘The King’s Ransom’ was a wonderful chance to show what Watson can do outside of Holmes’s shadow, even while mourning the loss of his best friend. Plus Holmes’s cryptic reference in ‘The Empty House’ to Lestrade’s role in ‘the Molesey Mystery’ was too good an opportunity to miss! I really enjoyed throwing Watson and Lestrade together as professional colleagues, they work much better together than I ever imagined.
Which Wells story or stories do you connect to your Sherlock Holmes narrative?
CD: While looking through H. G. Wells’s impressive collection of short stories, I was intrigued that he and Doyle had both written about diamonds. ‘The Diamond Maker’ is relatively unknown, probably because it contains no action, and a large amount of scientific jargon; whereas 'The Mazarin Stone' has plenty of drama, but is the worst written of the Holmes canon. Clearly, these two gem-related stories had something to offer each other... as a grieving Dr. Watson, newly returned from Switzerland, will discover.
Why did you want to participate in this project?
CD: I like the idea of my writing helping to raise money – even if it isn’t going into my pocket! Seriously, though, I started writing pastiches in the first place because I wanted to share the Holmes and Watson in my head with fellow Holmesians, and I’m very excited and honoured to have been chosen for this collection.
What are your current and upcoming projects?
CD: The common thread among my stories seems to be exploring alternate universes, particularly other Victorian and Edwardian fiction. My first novel, A Study in Regret, killed Watson off at Reichenbach Falls (I’m still in hiding from outraged readers!), and a sequel is in the works, if a little dust-covered at the moment. I’ve swapped Ebenezer Scrooge with Professor Moriarty in A Criminal Carol, and sent the entire Holmes canon down the rabbit hole to Wonderland in The Hunting of the Nark: Sherlock Holmes Through the Looking-Glass. And there are plenty more oddball ideas where those came from... Just wait till Agatha Christie becomes public domain!
Any last thoughts?
CD: I’m greatly looking forward to reading the other stories in this anthology – especially the ‘War of the Worlds’ themed ones.
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Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells was named a "Project We Love" by Kickstarter for being a "brilliant display of creativity".Author Interview with Chris Chan on "The Outline of Mystery"Chris Chan is a writer, educator and historian. He works as a researcher and "International Goodwill Ambassador" for Agatha Christie Ltd. His true crime articles, reviews, and short fiction have appeared (or will soon appear) in The Strand, The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Mystery Weekly, Gilbert!, Nerd HQ, Akashic Books' Mondays are Murder webseries, The Baker Street Journal, The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, and multiple Belanger Books anthologies. He is the creator of the Funderburke mysteries, a series featuring a private investigator who works for a school and helps students during times of crisis. The Funderburke short story "The Six-Year-Old Serial Killer" was nominated for a Derringer Award. His first book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind "A Scandal in Bohemia," was published in 2020 by MX Publishing. His second book, Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter will be released by Level Best Books in September 2021, and his first novel, Sherlock's Secretary (currently on Kickstarter), will be published by MX Publishing in November 2021.  |
Please tell us a little bit about your story without giving too much away.
Chris Chan (CC): When a woman accusing H.G. Wells of plagiarism comes to Holmes begging for help, the great detective is skeptical, until he realizes that there is a very cruel plot afoot to frame the woman for murder.
Which Wells story or stories do you connect to your Sherlock Holmes narrative?
CC: His historical work The Outline of History.
Why did you want to participate in this project?
CC: I have participated in several Belanger Books anthologies in the past and it has always been a very positive experience. Also, this is based on a fascinating historical event that I think should be better known.
What are your current and upcoming projects?
CC: In September, my book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter will be released by Level Best Books. It's a study of one of Britain's most underrated humor writers, Joyce Porter, the creator of DCI Dover, Scotland Yard's laziest and crudest detective. Porter also worked in British Intelligence and wrote four novels about the world's most reluctant spy, and five novels about the "Hon Con," a gentlewoman detective with a flair for destruction. My first novel, Sherlock's Secretary, will be out in November. It's based on the real-life fact that for many years, a bank occupied 221B Baker Street and hired a full-time employee to handle the mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes. For more information, CLICK HERE.
Any last thoughts?
CC: I hope that you enjoy the anthology!
New Editions of Belanger Books Classics!
As part of the campaign for Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells, we are releasing ALL NEW editions of the Belanger Books classics, Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells (volumes 1 and 2) and A Tribute to H.G. wells, the Master of Science Fiction (volumes 1 and 2). These new editions will include ALL NEW Bonus adventures. To tell about her new story, we have an author interview with Brenda Seabrooke.
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| The original Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells features all new bonus stories! |
Author Interview with Brenda Seabrooke on " The Scourge of Scorrhill Moor"
Brenda Seabrooke is the author of 22 books for young readers and 28 stories published in mystery anthologies and literary reviews. She received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a fellowship from Emerson College, an Edgar finalist, a Children’s Choice Award, a National Council of Social Studies notable and others.
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| Author Brenda Seabrooke |
Please tell us a little bit about your story without giving too much away.
Brenda Seabrooke (BS): A young man has returned from a long sea voyage to find his fiancée, a governess has disappeared. Her employers thought she was meeting him when she left. Both he and his fiancée are orphans and he doesn’t know what to do. Holmes is intrigued and takes the case. He and Watson travel to Baskerville country.
Which Wells story or stories do you connect to your Sherlock Holmes narrative?
BS: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Why did you want to participate in this project?
BS: When I first heard about the anthology proposal, this story leaped into my brain. It was irresistible!
What are your current and upcoming projects?
BS: Polishing a mystery and writing more Holmes stories. I just finished my 13th.
Any last thoughts?
BS: My father was a country doctor. He wanted a son or daughter to go into practice with him. He also made some notes for a book he wanted to write but never got around to. I wonder what he would think of me writing stories as Dr. Watson!
You can read all these exceptional stories and more by backing Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells on Kickstarter by CLICKING HERE!
Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Dozen and Sherlock HO!
You heard from some of the authors of Sherlock Holmes: New Adventures in the Realms of H.G. Wells. Now, we want to let you know a bit about our other exceptional Kickstarter project.
From author S. Subramanian (Before Baker Street, Holmes Away From Home, Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of Steampunk) comes a brand-new collection of traditional Sherlockian pastiches, A Baker Street Dozen. Cases involving missing sapphires, aluminum crutches, red leeches and paradol chambers, alluded to in the classic canon, are finally explored here, written in the style of Doyle's most faithful pasticheurs.
In Sherlock Ho!, Author S. Subramanian presents this eclectic collection of stories, essays and outright parodies guaranteed to amuse even the most serious Sherlockian reader. There are short stories and affable articles; there are clerihews, confessions and continuations of the classic Canon. SHERLOCK HO! even features guest appearances from some of the Great Detective's renowned rivals such as Father Brown and Bulldog Drummond!
Every Sherlockian will want both of Subramanian's books in their collection, and you can get them by CLICKING HERE!
New Sherlock Holmes and Solar Pons Audio Books
Here are two new audio books from the Belanger Books catalog, one Sherlock Holmes and the other Solar Pons.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson:
The Early Adventures Volume I
This volume, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Early Adventures, is an amazing collection of some of Holmes and Watson’s fascinating cases that occurred during those first three years in Baker Street, when Holmes was creating his unique profession of consulting detective, while Watson was still recovering from the war wounds that he’d received in Afghanistan and slowly returning to the business of being a civilian doctor. Included are 31 new stories in three companion volumes by some of today’s best Sherlockian pasticheurs, as well as an excerpt from the beginning of A Study in Scarlet, detailing the initial meeting of Holmes and Watson in early 1881, as well as possibly the most famous Canonical tale, “The Speckled Band” (occurring in April 1883) and “The Resident Patient”, with its original restored opening text, as it first appeared in The Strand magazine, indicating that this adventure occurred toward the end of the first year of Holmes and Watson’s residency at 221b Baker, as we climb the seventeen steps to our heroes’ sitting room. You’ll find that they haven’t lived there quite as long in these early days, and possibly they aren’t as quite as old as you might have pictured them....
Get this incredible audio book, read by noted Sherlockian audio producer Kevin E. Green, by CLICKING HERE!
The Casebook of Solar Pons (The Adventures of Solar Pons 5)
Get the fifth collection of Solar Pons stories, narrated by the great Christopher Kendrick, by CLICKING HERE!
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Sherlock Holmes: Adventures through the Multiverse
We currently have one project open for submissions. Look for a plethora of new projects which will be announced in September!
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| Story Title Page from Sherlock Holmes: Adventures through the Multiverse |
Sherlock Holmes: Adventures through the Multiverse
Edited by Thaddeus Tuffentsamer and Derrick Belanger
We’ve read about the many cases that Holmes and Watson have handled from 221B Baker Street over their long career together, but what cases were handled from the other 221B Baker Street, or the other, other one?
Adventures through the Multiverse will answer those questions.
They will be traditional Sherlock Holmes stories, but with a twist, in that every story will feature an adventure from a different universe.
Possibly Watson may be the detective and Holmes is his chronicler.
Perhaps Lestrade is the detective and Holmes works at Scotland yard.
Maybe young Holmes is one of the Baker Street Irregulars.
Maybe Mycroft is the detective and Sherlock works for the government.
Perhaps Holmes and Watson reside in the American Old West, or in Ancient Rome, or in Feudal Japan, or even in a futuristic moon base. The choice is up to you!!!
Guidelines: These should be traditional Sherlock Holmes adventures that fit into the timeline of the original canon. It will be ok to use a slight sci-fi twist in that, in your multiverse, in the year 1881 smartphones existed as their industrial age happened centuries earlier than ours. If you decide to go this or a similar route, they should not be the focus of the story or detract from a traditional feel. Please start your story with a designation of which multiverse this story takes place in (You can give your multiverse a name i.e. "Animal Multiverse" where every humanoid is an animal like in Zootopia, or a number designation like "Multiverse - 1862" because your Holmes is a general during the American Civil War).
Submissions: Sherlock Holmes: Adventures through the Multiverse - Submissions should be 5,000 – 10,000 words in length (it is okay to go over or under some). Some slight sci-fi element is ok to use, but Holmes and Watson must be their traditional selves. (an android Holmes that is still traditional would be considered if it is explained as to why he exists in your universe)
Payment for the anthology: Authors shall receive a payment of $100 OR $50 plus a percentage of the Kickstarter project profits (whichever amount is GREATER) and a paperback copy of the anthology.
Rights: Authors shall retain rights to their work. We only retain the rights to the story within the publication.
Submission deadline is September 30th, 2021.
Send submissions in a word document to derrick@belangerbooks.com with the heading ATTN: SUBMISSION FOR ADVENTURES THROUGH THE MULTIVERSE.
Another Cool Sherlock Holmes Project on Kickstarter
From our friends at MX Publishing comes a cool new Manga Sherlock Holmes adventure!
Beasts of London is a novel that merges the world of the Sherlock Holmes universe with one that thrives on magic. The story reimagines the characters and their origins through asking the question of how they would live and develop in a world that is filled with mages and magical creatures. The story features a unique magic system, with every mage having their signature magic colour and form. While we find Sherlock in Baker Street, he is not quite the detective we are used to, yet still as inquisitive and rational as we have come to love him. The rest of the cast are similarly recognisable, yet subtly changed to suit the world they are living in. If you enjoy historical fantasy and adaptations that deviate from the norm, you will love Beasts of London.
Check out this cool Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel by CLICKING HERE!
Belanger Books is a small press owned by artist Brian Belanger and author Derrick Belanger specializing in new Sherlock Holmes books, Solar Pons, Children's books, Classic Sci-fi, Steampunk, and genre specific anthologies. Some of our books have been #1 bestsellers in their categories on Amazon.
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